I agree, although didn't like to say !! It is much cheaper to have the knackerman shoot your horse than it is for a vet to administer an injection of course, and presumably ditto for a dog. It is not something I would ever consider doing to my dog, but I am prepared to listen to JB re shooting a horse and her explanation as to why, if a mistake is made and the vet/knackerman has to reload, this could be kinder to the horse!

Also only trained vets can give an injection seemingly anyone can yield a bolt gun. convenience may also play a part.

That wasn't even a consideration for me. I wanted it to be as quick as possible. The horse had gone within a split second of the bang and well before he hit the floor. Not so with an injection. It was far, far more traumatic for me but that wasn't a consideration either.

ETA Nor was the cost of disposal a consideration. Any animal that has been medicated is no use to a slaughterman so has to be cremated . My beautiful baby was awash with ABs and pain killers and I wanted the best for him at the end, which is what he had.

Avoiding the need to reload was why I engaged a slaughterman who was a total professional who knew what he was doing and gets it right first time. Anyway this is all very morbid. It took me a year to get over it and I can't believe I'm being so matter or fact about it now.

Yes I know, I answered you honestly. You are correct I am sarcastic, have to be with some folk, otherwise Id get angry and I dont do that!

The Vet report didnt say it was did it? It DID say that there was NO bone fragments in the wound, now imagine the bolt gun. It forces a bolt through the animals skull, where does the bone go? Into the brain! The brain cavity wasnt even compromised, not at all. It couldnt have been a captive bolt Nicki, couldnt possibly, it would have smashed the dogs skull, there would be bone fragments everywhere. I expect that infection had rotted that bone, commonly happens, infection rots anything. I will say that dog SHOULD have been treated, but it was definitely not given to a rescue having had a failed bolt gun attempt.

Take a peek at the link Galty posted. That thread ran about 6mths, neither Spot nor Jodie showed the slightest interest. They often say why are Greyhounds "different" yet these 10 Shepherds were killed with a captive bolt and they never raised an eyebrow. Backs up my point about only posting things to cayuse trouble. The dog shot with a NAIL gun was even mentioned, implying that was a bolt, again untrue!!!

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As you say, you are going on what you have experienced, funny enough my vet at the time, (he is retired now) always said , the quickest less traumatic way to pts a horse was by the gun, shows how even vets can have different opinions.

I personally witnessed one horse being euthanized be injection , by a very experienced vet, (so no cowboy job ) the horse has a broken leg, he had been boxed up for weeks, and was suffering daily , it was a terrible sight, the owner refused to have him pts, even though the vet advised it, in the end she relented, but she insisted he was injected... I never want to witness that again, he fought the drug, he fell , thrashed about and took the stable boarding out, it wa snot over peacefully it took an age, the owner was beside herself, waiting for him to die. he eventually did, after a very traumatic stressful experience.

That is one case, I witnessed with my own eyes, a few friends have also done it that way, and again, they tell similar stories.

With a gun, it is instant there is no waiting for the horse to lay down and go to sleep, its so quick the horse does not know what hit him (sorry for the pun) ,

Yes I have heard of horror stories of the man with the gun not getting it right, we had one on our yard, many yrs ago but if you pick your marksman well the slaughter man or huntsman, they have done this job a thousand times. it is (sorry to say it again) INSTANT...what could be better than that.

Don't forget a horse is not like a dog, you can hold your dog in your arms when he is PTS, there is no gravity at force , as with bringing 1/2 a ton of horse down. so from someone who has witnessed both methods, I know which I prefer.

Of cause that is the case, with many an owner, lets be realistic, to have a horse injected, you have to have it cremated, and that is way out of reach for many an owner..

Taking the cheaper option for some, is not done out of cruelty, its done because the other option is , traumatic and expensive.. the horse is not suffering from being PTS by the gun, the animals welfare is not compromised!!

Fair enough!

If the horse has been ill and therefore on medication it will have to be cremated, regardless of whether it is injected or shot. I think the main drawback of an accurate and professionally delivered bullet is it is far more traumatic for the owner than an injection, but also rather messy. I can't see any welfare drawbacks for the animal though, having seen it done.

Nobody is perfect though 100% of the time. But the injection, even if not used correctly, will always be 100% effective. The thing that swung it for me was the fact that whoever pulled the trigger, may need to reload. That would be absolutely ghastly, and something I could not have borne. With hindsight, I was completely right. I had to endure the sight of a horse bleeding to death, the details of which I will not go into, and is irrelevant to this discussion, but the only reason I bring it up is because I know what a horse does, suffers and goes through when it is in agony.

Good post Jackbox, thanks for the care you very obviously took in writing it. I am understanding what you are saying, and if you experienced what you say you did, then that must have been ghastly. But with Tally it was completely different. It wasn't instant for sure, but it only took a few seconds from memory, and he just sank down to start with, just as if he was lying down to sleep, lay down on his side and died peacefully. It wasn't as quick as a dog, I must admit, but just the thought of the vet missing the spot with the bolt gun and having to reload was enough for me not to want to go down that route.